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William Norton

William Norton
Tánaiste
In office
2 June 1954 – 20 March 1957
Taoiseach John A. Costello
Preceded by Seán Lemass
Succeeded by Seán Lemass
In office
18 February 1948 – 13 June 1951
Taoiseach John A. Costello
Preceded by Seán Lemass
Succeeded by Seán Lemass
Minister for Social Welfare
In office
18 February 1948 – 13 June 1951
Taoiseach John A. Costello
Preceded by Seán Lemass
Succeeded by Seán Lemass
Minister for Industry and Commerce
In office
2 June 1954 – 20 March 1957
Taoiseach John A. Costello
Preceded by Seán Lemass
Succeeded by Seán Lemass
Leader of the Labour Party
In office
1932 – March 1960
Preceded by Thomas J. O'Connell
Succeeded by Brendan Corish
Teachta Dála
In office
February 1932 – October 1961
Constituency Kildare
In office
February 1926 – June 1927
Constituency Dublin County
Personal details
Born 2 November 1900
Dublin, Ireland
Died 4 December 1963(1963-12-04) (aged 63)
Dublin, Ireland
Nationality Irish
Political party Labour Party
Spouse(s) Helen Norton
Children 6
Religion Roman Catholicism

William Norton (2 November 1900 – 4 December 1963) was an Irish Labour Party politician, and leader of the party from 1932 to 1960.

Norton was born in Dublin in 1900. He joined the postal service in 1916. By 1920 he was a prominent member in the trade union movement in Ireland. From 1924 to 1948 he served as secretary of the Post Office Workers' Union.

He was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin County at a by-election in 1926, but was defeated at the June 1927 general election. In Professor Tom Garvin's review of the 1950s 'News from a New Republic', he comes in for praise as a moderniser. Garvin places him with a cross party group including Gerard Sweetman and Daniel Morrissey of Fine Gael as well as Seán Lemass of Fianna Fáil who were pushing a modernising agenda. He represented Kildare from 1932 until his death.

In 1932 he became leader of the Labour Party. In the First Inter-Party Government (1948–1951), Norton became Tánaiste and Minister for Social Welfare. In the Second Inter-Party Government (1954–1957), Norton served as Tánaiste and Minister for Industry and Commerce.

William Norton died in Dublin in 1963. His son Patrick Norton served as a TD for Kildare from 1965 to 1969.


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